July
2Joy of life seems to me
to arise from
a sense of being where one belongs. . .
of being foursquare with the life we
have chosen. All the
discontented
people
I know are trying sedulously
to be something they are not,
to do something they cannot do.

David Grayson

Today's
Meditation:

In my life, I can never seem to be "where" I
belong if we're talking about geography--life just keeps
pushing me in different directions that don't always make
sense. But part of the reason for which I'm being
pushed to different places geographically is that I made a
decision a few years ago to start teaching high school
instead of college; I feel very strongly that this is
where I'm supposed to be with the life that I've chosen
(for now, at least). There's a great need for
effective teachers of our young people, and I know for
sure that I am an effective teacher of high-school aged
students.

In doing what I want to be doing and working in an area
where I know my true talents lie, I definitely give up
other things, such as large paychecks and job
security. I have to deal with more stress than most
people I know because of the ways that our country now
treats its teachers (basically, as second-class citizens,
but that's an entirely different story), and I don't
receive nearly the respect that I used to receive as a
college teacher.

I'm fine with these things, though, for I know that I'm
not trying to be something I'm not, and that I'm not
trying to do work that I'm really not fit for. I
know people who are doing both of those, and it frightens
me sometimes to see the amount of damage they do, both to
themselves and to other people who are affected by their
work. When we try to be something we're not, we're
setting ourselves up for disaster.

This isn't the same as taking a risk and stepping out of a
comfort zone. There's much to be said for trying new
things and not fearing the consequences. But the
world is full of stories of people who were miserable for
years because they hated the work they were doing, only to
finally find contentment when they changed their work to
something that matched much more strongly with their
authentic selves.

Try to find your calling--be what you were meant to
be. Be authentic. These are all pieces of
advice that teacher after teacher tries to share with us,
but that only we can decide to follow or not.

Questions to
consider:

Why do so many people get involved in work that is at odds
with who they are as people?

What are some methods that you might use to determine what
kinds of work might fit your authentic self?

Where do you belong for sure? Are you there?

For further
thought:

It is
finally when you let go of what people expect you
to be and people's perceptions of you that you're able
to be the version of yourself that you're supposed to
be-- like in God's eyes. It doesn't matter if you're
half
crazy, or eccentric, or whatever it is-- that you have to
be true to who you were born to be.

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